I played Outriders for the first time in 2026, several years after its original release. I had not paid much attention to it at launch, but I came across its demo on Steam, so I decided to give it a try. I played Solo as I always do.
The demo provided roughly four hours of content with a single class. The graphics were attractive, and the gameplay felt solid. I wanted to continue, so I bought the full game. I ended up putting 60 hours into it, playing entirely solo, which is my usual approach.
Having spent that much time with the game, I would describe it as a cross between Borderlands and Bullet Storm. It takes the loot-driven progression and class-based abilities of Borderlands and combines them with the aggressive, over the top, combat of Bulletstorm. The result is a game that feels extremely satisfying and enjoyable. I would go as far as saying that in some ways, Outriders exceeds both Borderlands and Bulletstorm.
What Works
The environments are more varied than I expected. The game moves between forests, deserts, ruins, in-door corridors, slums and snow-covered areas, which prevents the world from feeling repetitive.
The graphics can look very good in certain places, particularly in outdoor areas with dynamic lighting. The visual design of the alien world is one of the stronger elements.
The combat is the star of the show. The sheer variety of skills, weapon types and mods presents a tonne of opportunities to create satisfying combos. Guns pack a punch and are satisfying to use. There is a cover system that works well.
The gear and mod system is diverse and rewarding. You are constantly picking up new weapons and armor pieces, each with their own rarity level, stats, and mod slots.
Deciding which mods to use and when is a constant, engaging puzzle. Do you equip the mod that increases weapon damage against bleeding enemies, or the one that gives you a second charge of your mobility skill? Do you build around firepower or anomaly power? The game does not force you into a single answer. You can reset your skill tree at any time to complement your mod choices, and you can swap mods on existing gear freely. This means you are never locked into a bad decision. Instead, you are encouraged to experiment.
The class system adds significant replayability. I played as a Pyromancer, which focuses on fire-based abilities for damage over time and crowd control. You can only have three skills active at a time out of a larger pool, which forces you to make meaningful choices about your loadout. Finding the combination that suits your playstyle is a rewarding process. There are offensive and defensive skills and the way the three skills interact with each other and with your equipped mods defines your entire approach to combat. Switching to a different class would fundamentally change how the game plays. A Trickster plays nothing like a Pyromancer, and a Devastator plays nothing like either of them. In that sense, playing a new class could feel like playing a different game entirely.
The story is good enough to follow. It is not groundbreaking, but it provides a reasonable motivation for progressing through the game. The side quests are generally interesting, often adding context to the main narrative rather than feeling like pure filler.
The skill tree requires you to make deliberate choices. You cannot take every useful node, so you have to decide between survivability, damage, and ability power based on your preferred playstyle. You can also reset the skill tree at any time, which is useful because some boss fights on higher World Tiers require different builds.
The World Tier system is a good feature. As you make progress, new tier levels unlock. You can choose to play at the highest available tier or keep it at a lower one. The higher the tier, the greater the gap between your level and the enemy levels, but the better the quality of loot drops. If a tier becomes too difficult, you can lower it at any time. This gives you meaningful control over both the challenge level and the quality of gear you find. I played the entire game on the highest tier, with the exception of a couple boss fights where I dropped the tier down a few notches. Beating enemies at the highest difficulty feels genuinely satisfying, though some of the boss battles can be overly tedious.
What does not work
The character models are bland. They look noticeably worse than the environments, and facial animations are stiff. This is not a dealbreaker, but it is distracting.
Most of the characters are not likeable. The protagonist, along with several key NPCs, comes across as rude and perpetually annoyed. There is a difference between a hardened survivor and someone who simply complains constantly, and this game leans too far toward the latter. Outriders also takes its characters very seriously without presenting anyone who lives up to that seriousness. The tone feels mismatched, and the result is a cast that leaves you wanting more. This is a shame, because several of the characters had potential for further development. Their story arcs could have been integrated more effectively into the main game, but that opportunity was largely missed.
The map and quest management system is confusing. It is not always clear which quest is active in which region, and the waypoint system can be unreliable. I spent more time than I would like navigating menus to figure out where to go next.
Crafting requires you to return to your camp (though this is fixed in the Worldslayer expansion). You cannot modify your gear in the field. It is an unnecessary feature and does not match the fast paced, intense and aggressive tone of the rest of the game. Also, given how central modding and upgrading are to the experience, this issue is noticeable.
Lack of explosive weapons / grenades. There is a noticeable lack of explosive weapons and grenades. It is strange that Outriders has no traditional grenades or rocket launchers to speak of. Instead, the game ties explosive combat directly to your class. For example, if you want to use a rocket launcher, you have to play as the Technomancer and unlock a specific skill. This does limit your options if you prefer explosive weapons and do not want to play that class.
Final Word on Outriders
Outriders is not a polished masterpiece, but it is a game that knows what it wants to be. The combat is the clear highlight. The variety of skills, weapons, and mods gives you room to experiment and find combinations that feel personal and effective. The class system adds real depth. Playing as a Pyromancer felt distinct and focused, and switching to another class would change the experience entirely. The World Tier system gives you meaningful control over difficulty and loot quality. I played most of the game on the highest tier, and beating enemies at that level felt genuinely satisfying, even if some boss battles became overly tedious.
The flaws are noticeable but not deal breakers. The characters are largely unlikable, and the serious tone does not match the shallow writing. The map system is frustrating. The lack of traditional explosive weapons and grenades is an odd design choice, especially for a game inspired by Bulletstorm. Crafting requires a trip back to camp, which interrupts the flow of combat. These issues prevent Outriders from reaching a higher tier of quality, but they do not ruin the experience.
I came to Outriders late, with no expectations, and I walked away satisfied after 60 hours. It borrows from Borderlands and Bulletstorm, but in some ways it surpasses both. I found the combat / loot / crafting / upgrading loop more entertaining than Borderlands or any other looter-shooter I have played. The progression system respects your time more than many other looters. I played this Solo which is always my preference but I can see how this game would be even crazier if played with a buddy. If you enjoy aggressive, ability-driven shooters and you can overlook a forgettable cast and a few rough edges, Outriders is worth playing.
Overall Score : 8.5 / 10